


Out of Time

by gaymer_girl



Category: Life Is Strange (Video Game)
Genre: Angst, F/F, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, I normally don't pick this ending, Platonic Pricefield, Post Sacrifice Chloe Ending, Sacrifice Chloe Ending, bay before bae, but... well I'll explain in my author notes, pricefield, romantic pricefield, the major character death is the one we already know
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-08
Updated: 2020-04-08
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:15:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23542207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaymer_girl/pseuds/gaymer_girl
Summary: Max made the ultimate sacrifice and it cost her the life of her best friend. Now that she has woken to a new reality where Chloe Price met her fate, Max struggles to cope through a complicated stage of grief... until...
Relationships: Maxine "Max" Caulfield & Chloe Price, Maxine "Max" Caulfield/Chloe Price
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	Out of Time

**Author's Note:**

> I recently did a replay of Life is Strange and Before the Storm with a buddy of mine. He made all the choices this time around... and picked the Sacrifice Chloe ending. Needless to say, I sobbed throughout the entire ending sequence.
> 
> Now that I've wrapped up the game again, I'm back on my LiS bullshit. If you've read my other fic about them, thanks! Much appreciated.
> 
> Honestly this was written to help work through my feelings about my love for these characters and the ending I had to suffer through.
> 
> Enjoy!

The fight boomed in Max’s ears as Nathan was wrestled to the ground. David was furiously shouting at him to remain silent, voice bouncing off the tiled walls, and Max could hear the pain in his voice, Chloe’s lifeless body looming behind him as a wretched reminder of what had transpired.

“Shit, I have to call an ambulance,” David was mumbling. His voice grew strong again. “You. Come with me.” He dragged Nathan to his feet. “You’re going to answer for this… Oh, God, Chloe… shit. _Shit_. I’ll be back for you, sweetie. I’ll send someone. Please, please don’t be…” With a growl, he shoved Nathan out of the bathroom. “Move.”

The door shut behind them, and Max slowly lifted her head from where it was tucked between her legs. She got to her feet, every move that she made a grand effort. She peaked around the corner, a lump in her throat and her heart pounding.

There, in a pool of her own blood, was Chloe. Max was scraping for the ability to comprehend the image. Reality was distorted around her vision, messy and blurred. Her eyes were burning with tears that rolled endlessly down her blotchy cheeks. Her hands were shaking. She felt as though she was about to throw up as her stomach ached and churned.

With tentative steps, Max made her way toward Chloe’s body. The shouts of confusion and alarm from outside faded, and all she could hear were her own rattling breaths. She choked up painfully as she came to a stop at the edge of the crimson stained tiles.

“Chloe…” Max’s voice got caught in her throat. “Chloe, I’m so sorry.” Her knees gave way and she collapsed, the wind knocked from her lungs. She pressed a hand to her mouth, a sob cracking through.

She couldn’t believe it. She had let Chloe talk her into making an impossible choice. After all Max had gone through to fight for Chloe’s survival, she was right back where she started. She felt as though she had failed, and yet… Chloe wasn’t going to suffer a continuous cycle of impending doom any longer. And if Chloe’s selfless act had done its job, Arcadia Bay would live on.

With an effort, Max crawled forward, hiccuping cries and choking on air. She sat against the stall dividers and gently pulled Chloe’s head into her lap. She couldn’t let her be found alone. Not after everything they had been through…

The dam burst as Max cradled her best friend to her, sobbing uncontrollably. The warmth of Chloe was draining quickly. Blood was leaking onto Max’s clothes, but she didn’t care. Words failed her, so all she could do was weep.

* * *

That was the last thing that Max remembered. She came to on the cliffside of the lighthouse, the sun setting above the Pacific. Somewhere in her muddled understanding, she knew that Nathan and Jefferson had been arrested. Justice had been served, Rachel and Chloe avenged. What had happened between Chloe’s death and now, Max couldn’t say.

She blinked a couple of times, trying to reconnect with the new world around her. She breathed in the salty ocean air, she felt the wind on her face, and could hear the birds chirping in the background. There wasn’t a storm on the horizon anymore.

It had worked.

“We did it, Chloe,” Max found herself saying. “ _You_ did it.”

But she didn’t smile. There was a heaviness in her heart that was reminiscent of when she had gone to William’s funeral. And sure enough, when Max took a good look at herself, she was wearing mourning clothes. All black.

Somehow she knew that it was time to depart for Chloe’s funeral.

She backed away from a sunset she would normally consider breathtaking. She had no emotion to enjoy it. As she made her way down the trail, she paused at a tree stump that she and Chloe had graffitied to mark their friendship for all the world to see. “Max + Chloe BFF Pirates 2008.” Captain Bluebeard and Long Max Silver… but the latter would sailing alone now.

Numbly, Max made it to the wrought iron gates of the Arcadia Bay Cemetery after a lonely walk. People dressed in black were wandering inside. She spotted Kate and Warren. Victoria was making an appearance. Even Principal Wells was here to pay his respects. Max wanted to speak to none of them. They had no idea that Chloe made the sacrifice to save them all. Would any of them make the same choice she did? In a quiet rage in the back of Max’s head, she wished she would have picked Chloe instead.

Leading the charge was Joyce and David, Joyce doubling over every few steps to cry. Max trailed behind them all, eyes fixed on the devastated remaining Price.

She finally made it to where everyone was gathered. Chloe was to be buried beside her father, something that Max knew she would have wanted. She stood beside Joyce, who acknowledged her briefly with a small nod. Out of everyone else here, Max was probably the only other person besides Joyce who knew Chloe for all she was.

As the service started, Joyce lost all control and sobbed in David’s arms. Max kept her attention on the casket, lips trembling as she contained her emotions. But she couldn’t keep it all inside. Tears slipped through the cracks, silently dripping down her cheeks.

Max wasn’t really listening to what the priest was saying. She couldn’t stop staring at Chloe’s casket, swallowing thickly as this new reality got clearer and clearer. As a small breeze rippled across the graveyard, a butterfly daintily landed on the end of the casket, right in Max’s field of vision. It flapped its vibrant blue wings, and Max’s heart leapt for just a second, the tiniest of smiles tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Then it slipped away as soon as it came. She bowed her head and cried silently, the casket shuddering as it began its descent to the earth. Joyce wailed. Max’s heart shattered, guilt breaking through and flooding every part of her body. She buried her face in her hands, unable to spare the casket a second glance.

The service ended not too long after. With that continued heaviness, Max started to inch her way out of the cemetery, toying with her hands, unsure if she was ready to go on and live in a world where Chloe Price was not.

“Max.”

She paused and looked over her shoulder. Joyce was making her way over, the tragic purples of the sky dancing in her exhausted eyes. David was trailing behind her, his face unreadable.

“Joyce,” Max whispered. “I’m so sorry.”

“Oh, honey, there was nothing you could do.” Joyce pulled her into a hug, and Max ached at the contrary—there certainly was something she could have done. “I’m glad that you had found her while David was taking that… that boy away. But I can only imagine the effect this is having on you, too.”

“Yeah.” Max’s voice was trembling. “I’m gonna miss her, Joyce.”

“Do you need a ride back to Blackwell?” Joyce offered. “We can stop by and take a look around Chloe’s room and see if there’s anything you might want that I didn’t give you already. I know she’d want you to have some of her old things. Lord knows I won’t be able to think about…” She trailed off, pushing on only after she took in a breath. “About giving them away to anyone else for a long while. I can already see you’re giving them some love.”

“Huh?”

“Chloe’s bracelet.”

Max blinked and looked down at her wrist. Sure enough, there was Chloe’s studded bracelet. When did she get this… she deduced it must have been during her blackout.

“Yeah. Of course,” Max patched up. “I almost forgot. But, sure, Joyce. A quick look around would be great.”

The drive back to the Price residence was tense. David hadn’t said a word the whole service. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel. Joyce let sobs escape, but more or less kept it together. Max was staring listlessly out the window, watching the town that Chloe had saved pass her by.

Joyce encouraged Max to make her way up to Chloe’s room, promising that she would drive Max home once she was finished. She needed some time alone first. Understandable, Max thought. Alone time sounded nice.

Every step up the stairs was agonizing. The second floor was eerily quiet. Max’s own breathing sounded loud and unwelcome. Her hand hesitated over Chloe’s doorknob before she willed herself to push it open.

There was a rush of air and Max was impacted with the familiar scent of Chloe with only a hint of weed. The window had been left open, Chloe’s giant American flag gently rustling in the evening air. The room was dark and cold, void of the life that Chloe breathed into it. Max was plunged into her memories of whenever she snooped about the room whilst hanging out with her in the… other world.

She turned on the lights, trying not to focus on one thing for too long. She inched over to the desk, pulling open one of the drawers and shuffling through it. She found a few more of Chloe’s selfies, including the one with Rachel. She gave that one a wry smile, hoping that wherever they were, they were causing trouble together again.

She went through some of Chloe’s clothing, choosing a few items that Max had loved, and even took Rachel’s flannel that she had the honor of wearing one afternoon. She didn’t know if she would ever wear them out, but they would be nice to have. She stumbled upon items from the childhood that they shared—pirate hats and eyepatches… Chloe had kept them all this time.

There was a lot that Max had previously discovered while they had reconnected. She was able to find those things with ease, setting a few of them aside. She found an old shoebox to house the photos for now, adding a few bits of scribbled on paper she planned on pasting into a Chloe-dedicated journal entry.

After a while, Max grew tired of snooping. She sat herself in the center of Chloe’s bed, simply looking around at everything, hugging one of Chloe’s pillows to her chest. Ghosts of the past that no longer existed fluttered by—Chloe jumping up and down on this very bed as she blasted “Piano Fire,” the smell of chlorine from when they crashed here after an exhilarating night at Blackwell’s pool, the intensive investigation board that they compiled with everything they found regarding Rachel’s disappearance and her connection to Kate Marsh… the kiss they shared after a silly dare…

Max rubbed her hands over her face, licking her drying lips. Something overcame her after a long pause, lifting her head from her hands and staring into the graffitied hole to another universe.

“Chloe,” she whispered weakly, voice scratchy. She had not been shy with the amount of tears she had shed as she searched. “I want you to know something… I don’t know how this works, but… if you can hear me, I promise that I came back for you. I don’t know if you’re able to remember where you are or how you are, but I did. We reunited. We solved so much together. I did all I could to save you time and time again… and I’m so sorry that I couldn’t in the end.” She ran a hand through her hair. “I feel like everything we did was for nothing, even though we got Jefferson and Nathan arrested. I just wish we really could have succeeded with you being able to see the fruits of our labors.

“I’m sorry if you feel like you died alone. I… I wanted to save you again. I wanted to hit the fire alarm and do it all over again. I wanted to show you that I was _there_. But you wouldn’t let me. You said to trade your life for everyone else’s… but honestly? I don’t feel like it was enough.

“There’s a hole in me, Chloe. I can’t fill it. It was where you were always. I know I was a shitty friend. I regret not keeping up with you for five years. Especially now. Who does that to their best friend? What sort of awful person leaves the person they love the most hanging for so long? If I had known… I don’t know. Maybe things would have been different for all of us. So, I’m sorry, Chloe. I’ll forever be sorry about that. I tried to make it up to you. Everything I did was to show you that I was still there for you. That I still cared about you.

“I love you, Chloe…”

She sat suspended in a deafening silence. Was she expecting an answer? A witty comeback? No, of course not. It was certainly empty without one, though. Not even world outside desired to make noise.

She buried her nose into the pillow, inhaling memories of how lovely Chloe seemed to smell despite the pot and cigarettes. It just smelled like home to Max—a home she was able to return to for a week… but that week had been restarted, and Max remembered none of her grieving process. She’d have to do it all over again.

It was torture.

She set the pillow aside, gathering up all her strength as she scooted off the bed. It was time to go, she decided. If she stayed any longer, she would drive herself crazy, and Joyce would have to pry Max from Chloe’s room.

As she slipped off, her foot hit something out from a hiding place under the bed. Max hesitated, dipping down and picking up what looked like a journal.

“I don’t remember Chloe mentioning a journal…” She was about to peel it open, but she didn’t want to keep Joyce waiting. Instead, she tucked it inside the shoebox of things she had collected and made her way downstairs.

She’d look at it later.

* * *

Joyce had no qualms about Max taking her pick of Chloe’s belongings. She thought it was wonderful that Max had taken an interest in Chloe’s old clothes, and even said she’d hold on to others that she might think Max would like.

“There’s so much stuff in there that it’ll take months to look through it all. I’m not really ready, but I’ll make sure to message you when I am so we can do more of it together,” she had promised Max.

David had given Max a rather awkward ride back to Blackwell. She thanked him quietly, walking across the dark courtyard of the dorms and upstairs to her bedroom. On her couch was the other collection of Chloe’s belongings that Joyce had apparently gifted her. Inside was William’s camera, a few extra photos of when they were tiny tots, and even Chloe’s beanie.

She sat on her little couch and shuffled around the shoeboxes, the clothes she had collected waiting for her on her bed to be put away later. On her own adventure, Max had nabbed plenty of treasures worthy of the pride of Captain Bluebeard. She even found the ancient cassette player with her five year old apology to Chloe still jammed inside.

Had Chloe listened to this more than once? She was tempted to play it, but she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face those demons just yet.

Instead, Max looked through old photos with more care, ran her fingers along scraps of paper that Chloe had doodled on, and cry-laughed over their old pirate sketchbook that inspired an afternoon of fun before it ended in the tragic passing of William. It was stuffed with drawings and fading polaroid photos that Max had taken with William’s camera forever ago. The youth and hope in their eyes bled through the photos. Early selfies taken with a camera that Max had no idea would join her on a life-changing journey not five years later.

At last she reached the mysterious journal. Like Max’s own, it was overflowing with memorabilia, drawings, and stickers. The pages were clinging to dear life on the spiral binding, so Max had to carefully open it to see what was inside.

To her great surprise, they weren’t diary entries like she wrote herself. No, they were all letters. To Max. The first one was on a paperclipped piece of stationary.

_Dear Max,_

_Dad got me this stationary one day when I complained about wanting to send an email and the internet was down. And tonight I thought: Hey! Maybe it’s time to write Max!_

_The funny thing is, I don’t really know what to say. Cause we haven’t talked in three months. Despite all my calls, and texts, and… Not that I’m upset or anything._

_Fuck. There’s no way I’m sending this, is there?_

_Chloe, the Unfriended_

With a lump in her throat, Max flipped the page where Chloe was actually writing on the pages of the notebook. Every time Max’s name appeared, Chloe had taken the time to dive through clippings of magazines and pamphlets to find the letters that made her name and paste them to the page.

Max sank into a world of excruciating guilt as past Chloe raged and passive aggressively chastised Max for leaving, told her about all the things she was missing out on because she was living in Seattle. There Max also learned in greater detail about Chloe’s relationship with Rachel and the crazy adventures they had in only three days time. At first, the letters were constant, teeming with detail. Chloe would get a little nicer sometimes, but then she would be back to her furious ranting in no time. After those three days worth of entries, the letters started to slow to a crawl. The last letter wasn’t even finished, stopping mid-sentence. She had been writing about a show she was going to go to with Rachel, and it almost seemed as though Rachel had materialized as Chloe wrote, whisking her away to whatever exploit they had planned.

To think Chloe wrote all these letters to a journal Max who would never write back… and Max didn’t know if she would have written back if she were to actually have received these letters. Max hadn’t been a proper friend to Chloe, and she never knew why. She loved Chloe. The Price household was her world. Had the trauma of leaving her behind been so great that she had to block all contact lest she pour salt into the wound? Or was Max not a very good friend to her in the first place? She hoped that it was the former.

She closed the journal, wiping at her tear-stained cheeks. She had to go on living so she could prove to herself that she had done all she could to ensure her redemption with Chloe. Even if this reality doused Max in a different light.

Deciding that enough was enough, Max got up to get dressed for bed. She gathered Chloe’s old clothes and brought them to her closet. She hung some up and folded the rest. As she reached for an empty hanger, her hand bumped into the one that held her grey jacket. It slipped off and clunked to the floor.

Max scoffed in annoyance, reaching down and picking it up… but noticed an odd weight as she did. Furrowing her brows, she dipped her hands inside the sagging pocket and fished out a cassette tape and a small, folded envelope.

When did these get here?

She set those down, eyeing them suspiciously as she finished getting ready for bed. She wore one of Chloe’s old shirts, trying not to fear the day her smell would eventually imprint itself so powerfully in Max that it would fade into familiarity.

Once she was comfortable, she grabbed the cassette player and inserted the tape, trying to wrack her brain for some memory of putting these items inside her pocket. Did she pocket these sometime during her blackout after Chloe’s death for her to find later?

She sat on her bed and hit play, holding her breath. There might not even be anything on this tape, but she was eager to see what in the world was waiting for her.

“Hey, Max. It’s Chloe. The date is October 10th, 2013. It’s almost midnight and raining like fucking crazy outside.”

Max’s heart stopped. No way.

“You’re asleep. David’s gone off to find Jefferson after we warned him. This storm is about to tear our town apart. I don’t know where Mom is. I know David is out there somewhere to sic sweet ass justice on that fuckface Jefferson. I’m scared out of my mind, but glad to be here with you as we wait it out. You told me to stay put with you until you come to… You’re mumbling something in your sleep right now. But that’s not what I’m here to talk about."

She sounded exhausted and unsure, yet each word was full of purpose as she moved on, “I’ve been thinking, Max. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and it’s been freaking the living shit out of me. This week has been chaotic and scary, and I honestly don’t know what your plan is next, but I just wanted to say a few words to you in private before you wake up and we make our next move.

“I have a feeling that things are going to ultimately come to a choice, Max. And it’s gonna be a choice that only _you_ can make. I still haven’t made up my mind because this shit is heavy and confusing and…" She sucked in a sharp breath. "Well... permanent… but I’ll be sure to tell you when it gets to that point. Anyway…

“I put you through some difficult stuff this week. I was so mad at you for leaving and I didn’t want to push you away into leaving again, but I only managed to guilt you. That wasn’t fair. I mean, you understood why I was mad. You did more than enough to show me how much you love and care about me and make up for everything. You saved my worthless ass time and time again, and somehow you felt like it was deserving of a second chance. I can’t imagine _anyone_ doing that for me, powers or no. If there’s one thing you are, deep down, Max Caulfield, is _loyal_. You proved that time is bullshit and, when you finally showed your face, expressed to me that no time really had passed between us. You pushed through the five years of radio silence and proved to me your loyalty even when you didn't have to if you didn't want to. I was so used to everyone in my life leaving me... Dad, you... Rachel... but you're the only one who came back.

“The point is, I am so, so grateful that you came back to me this week. Having you come into my life at the right time was an incredible stroke of luck. Because of your Super Max powers, we were able to spend time together again. The time with you was insane, but it was the best I’ve had in a long time. Even if we were playing Sherlock and Watson over something darker and more dangerous than searching for buried treasure in my backyard, it really did feel like one of our old adventures. I had my best friend back. And with you, I felt like I could conquer the world. And maybe we could have if shit didn’t hit the fan.

“Thank you for sticking by me this week, Max. Thank you for standing at my side no matter how mad I got, no matter what stupid shit I dragged you into. You have this hella awesome ability to reel me in and make me see the bigger picture. Maybe I fought you on that a few times, but it was a dynamic I had forgotten we shared before. If you hadn’t been there when I found out about Rachel, I… I might have gotten myself arrested or even killed. And I guess I kind of did until you stuck your nose into destiny." There was a small laugh as she said, "You're good at sticking your nose into a lot of things, though. I sorta picked that up from you later on down the line, so thanks for that.

“So... I don’t know how time travel really works. As much as I love science, it’s still a weird fucking mystery we’ve yet to uncover. Somehow you got it, and you used those powers for good. I don’t know if I’d do the same… yet you were selfless in every action you did. It was fucking inspiring. You saved Kate Marsh, you did all you could to uncover the truth about Rachel, and you went to hell and back to make sure my sorry ass stayed alive. I was doing more research once we got here to see if _any_ of the science books or websites could help, but I didn’t find much.

“You told me that sometimes items stay with you when you rewind. Like, if you pick up a pencil and then rewind, the pencil will still remain in your hand. Or when you were a little shit and rewound so you were behind Wells’ office door when we were snooping for shit on Nathan. So I’m gonna give this a shot and leave this in your pocket with a little something extra. If this works, and you make a choice… hopefully this will remind you that what we did was real. I might not have the guts to say this all to your face, so I’ll just say it now...

“I want you to know that it’s _okay_ , Max. It’s okay that you let fate take its real course. It’s okay because somewhere in the fucked up void that we call life or afterlife or whatever, I’ll still have these memories as some kind of badass alternate Chloe. Every moment we had together was real and it was amazing, and I will never, ever forget how you showed me your love and friendship. I know that life will be hard without me, and I’m not saying that to be selfish or conceited… but only because I know that _my_ life was hell without you.

“I’m so proud of you and how much you’ve grown. You’re stronger and braver than ever, and I need you to keep that up long after I’m gone. You’ve got a kickass future to look forward to, and so much to achieve. I’m sad that I won’t see it all myself." There was a pause as Chloe's voice cracked. She took in a shuddering breath, steadying her emotions. "But I know it'll be worth it.

“… Shit, you’re starting to wake up. The thunder isn’t fucking around. I should wrap this up before I lose my mind. Uh… fuck… Max, just listen to me. If nothing else, remember that I love you. I’ve always loved you, and I always will. You’re my best fucking friend, and I’m so happy to have been your partner in crime and to have you as my partner in time. I can’t wait to tell Rachel all about you. I’ll never forget you, as long as you don’t forget about me.

“Alright, Max. I’m gonna go now, and I promise I’ll stick by you and whatever your decision is gonna be. I’ll slip this in your pocket when I get the chance, and hopefully time won’t be a bitch and will deliver this to you. Keep on living, Max. Thank you for everything.

“And remember… we’re Max and Chloe. We’re always together, even when we’re not. I will always, always love you.

“Forever yours, Chloe Price, best friend of Max Caulfield.”

The tape ended with a gentle click. Max—the real Max—was left in a stunned, pained silence, frozen to her bed. Her heart was lodged in her throat, face sticky with tears as they constantly fell and dried. No way in all of time and space did she really just hear that.

She made a dive for the envelope and practically ripped it open. Inside was a polaroid with Chloe’s handwriting on the back.

_Took some convincing to get you to take this with me, but nobody can say no to Chloe Price. Date: October 10th, 2013. Time: 10:15PM._

Max flipped it over and clasped her hand over her mouth. It was a selfie of her and Chloe that night. Their eyes were tired and bloodshot, their lips forming uncertain smiles, but there was still love shared as Chloe had her arms wrapped around Max’s shoulders, pressing her cheek to Max’s. Of course, Max had no memory of taking this, nor any memory of Chloe hiding her message, but here they were. They were as real as they could be.

Fighting back another onslaught of tears, Max pressed the photo close to her heart. She closed her eyes tightly, shoulder shaking with suppressed sobs. Chloe somehow continued to show how incredible she was, even in death and, now, completely out of time.

“I’ll never forget you, Chloe Price,” Max whispered tautly. “Never.”

**Author's Note:**

> So that was that.
> 
> I definitely took a few liberties with how Max's powers work. Because I know when she jumps into an alternate timeline, she doesn't take anything with her but her mind, but I decided to say fuck the rules and wrote this because I wanted to cry and have some kind of closure, albeit melancholy closure.
> 
> Since some bits about Max's powers are still up in the air anyway, including stuff with her photo jumping, I didn't feel too bad about this lmao. If you don't care either, let's live in this little fantasy together.
> 
> Thanks for reading! Kudos and constructive criticism are appreciated.


End file.
